


The Grey and The Turquoise

by thunderbird_dragon



Series: The WASP Years [5]
Category: Thunderbirds, Thunderbirds are go!
Genre: M/M, the WASP years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-09-02 00:16:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8643784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderbird_dragon/pseuds/thunderbird_dragon
Summary: Gordon, now 18, meets up with Scott at the beginning of the ceasefire, both Tracy boys in uniform, both having been involved in fighting the insurrection for several years.  Flyboy Scott has been shot down hours before the ceasefire began and their dad has sent Gordon to check out how bad his brother is.





	

**Author's Note:**

> the WASP Years is my own imaginations as to how Gordon Tracy fitted so much in before joining International Rescue - fits well with TOS but just as well for TAG if you're imaginative about their ages! For the purposes of my series I've made Gordon 20 when he joins International Rescue.  
> The reference to 'Turquoise' comes from somewhere... not sure where but that the WASP officer winter uniform included a boat coat (big heavy woollen thing) in darkest turquoise.

_**The WASP Years - Grey and the Turquoise.** _

Being a town that served Army, Navy and Airforce, its many bars were clearly segregated, in a bid to avoid cross service brawls.  The Blue Dragon was one of those designated to the Airforce, the larger than necessary sign at the entrance warding off any ‘ _Army or Navy Scum_!'

It didn’t mention WASPs, though Gordon checked it twice to be sure. 

He pushed open the door and peered in.  Hell it was dark in there, was he sure he wanted to try inside?  He guessed he didn’t have much choice, he’d searched everywhere else for Scott, starting in the hospital that his brother had been taken to, and then the base.  This bar was where he’d been told he’d find his brother.

He slid inside the door – the room fell instantly silent.

His hands outspread in open surrender, just in case, he looked round and offered, “Ah, sorry, I don’t want any trouble, I’m…”  But he didn’t get the chance to finish.

“Well, lookie here, a little WASP-brat in our midst!” the speaker was a broad man with a sneering face, well above the average height against Gordon’s slightly below it.  He began to circle Gordon menacingly, being joined by others, all in the grey uniform of the Airforce.  “Didn’t you read the sign, you’re out of bounds here!”

“As in the sign saying no army or navy, yeah, but…”  Again he wasn’t permitted to finish.  The man’s hand shot out and grabbed Gordon’s neck firmly, drawing him in so very slowly, and struggle as much as he might, Gordon could not get free.

“As in you’re not Airforce – you’re not fucking welcome.”  He watched as the WASP’s face went a similar colour to the grey uniform of the Airforce.

As Gordon’s fingers clawing at the massive hand that held him, he was aware that the room around him grew darker and then he stopped struggling.

“Richie.”  Scott put a hand on the man’s arm, “Could you do me a favour and not get me in shit with my father - that’s my kid brother!”

“Huh?” the man looked down at the oxygen starved submariner who was blonde where Scott was dark, he eyes brown where Scott’s were blue and possibly the most important, he was WASP where Scott was Airforce.  “This little runt?”

Scott nodded, trying to get the man’s fingers to release Gordon, “Yeap.  Could…. you…. just…. let…him... go? Thank you.”  There was a hearty thud as Gordon hit the floor.  “Yes, amazing as it may seem, I do have a brother in WASP.  Every family has a black sheep, this is mine.”  He bend to sit his gasping brother upright, “Hi Squid!”  He smiled, as he rubbed his brother’s back, trying to help him breath again, “How’ya doing now?”

Gordon focused on him “What the hell is wrong with that guy?” He scrambled to get on his feet and take off after Richie.

“Whoa, not so fast little bro,” Scott took him off his feet again, “No, no just leave it.  We’ve all been a little tense here, we’ve had some troubles at this bar in the last day or two, tempers are running a little short.  Just leave it, I don’t want to have to explain to Dad that, despite you making it through the insurrection, you died at the hands of one of our own in a dumb bar brawl!”

“Who says I’d lose!”

“I do!  I know the mad man, just leave it.”  Scott smiled at him, he was genuinely pleased to see him. “What you doing here?”

Gordon continued to glare after the mad man as he replied, “Dad was worried about you.  You okay?”

“Gordon, look at me!”  Then suddenly Scott’s tone changed, “Gordon!  For fuck’s sake look at me!” 

Gordon did as he was asked, and for the first time he saw his older brother.  Face bruised, a stitched scar behind the hair line that was at least 4 inches long and scratches down his neck.  There would be more injuries, hidden by his uniform but the one thing that hit Gordon the hardest was that Scott’s hands were both shaking. 

Scott. His big brother. His big hero.

“Does it look like I’m fucking okay? Does it!”  This time it was Scott who grasped at Gordon’s neck, grabbing a handful of the dark turquoise winter uniform and pulling him in close to his face.

“Seen you better!” Only Gordon could have delivered that line with just the right amount of sarcasm.  John could have tried but Gordon always had that annoying balance just right.  Scott dragged him closer, tightening the grip, then just as quickly and for no apparent reason, he smiled. 

It was at that moment that Gordon realised just how close to the edge Scott was. 

He knew, dammit the world knew, that the Airforce was on the brink of destruction, from the pressures of the insurrection, stress beyond belief as they took the brunt of the attacks.  WASP may have Gordon and his teams continuing the fingertip searches on the sea bed for B11 mines, a dangerous pass time for any diver whilst still dodging sniper attacks, but the Airforce was on a different front line, one that moved at lightning speed and with devastating effect on its pilots.

“Could we go outside, I’m not comfortable here.”  The WASP wriggled free and walked from the bar.  Scott frowned but followed, amazed at the newly acquired adult confidence his little brother had developed. 

The air was icy outside, they pulled up their collars against the wind and walked to the dockside.  The water was grey, as was the sky and it seemed to both of them that the town was shades of grey too.

“Sorry Squid,” Scott came to stand shoulder to shoulder with his brother.  “This all happened just before the ceasefire.  I just…”

Gordon turned and waited but Scott was unable to finish, was it that he _just_ thought he was going to die, _just_ wanted to see it through, or perhaps that he _just_ thought it so unfair that it had to happen right at the end of the struggles.

Gordon put his arm round his brother’s shoulders, “I understand.” 

He’d seen so much himself, so many friends, so much destruction.  Theirs had been very different conflicts, Gordon’s sub worked as a closely knit community within the confined space of the sub, tightly reined for ultimate efficiency against an elusive foe. Scott’s world flew by the seat of their pants, each pilot working singly against adversaries equally matched and all at such speeds that it would make a gnat giddy.  No, he didn’t understand, but he did know what the insurrection had cost.

“What do I tell Dad?”

Scott sighed, keeping his eyes on the water line the far side of the quay.  “Tell him I’m okay.”  He spoke flatly.  There was no point in worrying his father any further now the ceasefire was holding.

“Sure?”

“No, but do it anyway, will you?”  Scott knew his brother would, the Tracy boys had always been good at covering for each other.

Gordon nodded, “Can I ask how bad you actually are?”  Scott shook his head, then took from his pocket a com advising Scott’s commander that he had been cleared for active duty as of that day’s date.  “Not, good enough, Scott.  I need to know if you are actually cleared for active duty or is this just you being stubborn?”

Scott grinned, this really was a new confident Gordon. “It’s me being stubborn of course!”  He pulled his brother into a hug, “Shit, it’s good to see you!”  And instantly he had Gordon grinning to, and all was well with Scott’s world again.  That smile, the one he remembered from a few months back at the Olympics, that smile, wide as could be, made everything bright and sunny again.

“You eaten?”

Gordon shook his head, “No, haven’t got time, I promised Dad I’d check on you, but I’m due back aboard at 19.00.”

Automatically, Scott checked his watch, “Damn, I could have done with talking to you.”

This time it was Gordon whose face was suddenly shadowed. “Yeah, I was hoping too.”  His turn for a flat voice.

Scott flicked a switch and became the concerned older brother instantly. “You got some sort of problem?”

Gordon shook his head, “Well, no, not really – just Dad.” 

Scott knew exactly.

“Has he been after a decision from you?”  He chose his words carefully as he added, “Hurrying you?”  He could have used ‘pestering’, ‘harrying’, ‘haranguing’ – any would have fitted.  The younger brother nodded.

“Just a bit, once the sub is in silent mode, we only get coms occasionally but every time there’s messages from him, asking that we talk. "  He fell short of saying ‘demanding that I join him.’

Scott knew.

Their father had wanted to do this International Rescue thing for years, but had held off during the insurrection.  Now, with the ceasefire, he’d decided to go for it – throw everything into it, even his sons, despite anything they might have wanted. 

“What are you going to do?”  Gordon asked.

Scott wrinkled up his nose, “Think I might just do it!  I can’t go any higher in the Airforce without being tethered to a desk, flight time reduced to practically zero.  Dad’s offering unlimited flying and the craft he’s got planned is…”  He searched for the right description.

“Out of this world, I know.” Gordon finished it for him.  “I spoke with John yesterday.  He’s sure that he’s never going to get into space again with NASA now the ceasefires started. Thinks they will assign him to research instead.”

“Yeah, I talked to him too.  That’s what comes of being a total genius!” Scott nudged his brother, “Just as well we aren’t, eh?  John’s going to join Dad, you knew that do you?”

Gordon nodded. “Virgil wont, he’s doing so well with his artwork.”

Scott thought about that for a moment, a wry smile on his face. “Funny to think that if they’d reclassified the insurrection to a war, then Virgil would have been called up to serve!”

It wasn’t a funny thought at all and they both knew it.

“What do you want to do?”  Scott asked.

Gordon knew exactly what he wanted and it wasn’t to join his father.  “Well, I _can_ go further in WASP, a lot further, and Dad knows it’s what I want.  I’ve got my eye on a Stingray class.”

Scott huffed, “Aim high, Kiddo!  There’s no-one going to believe in you but you!”  He scrunched up his shoulders pushing up his collar.  He wouldn’t be telling his little brother this, but he had a lot of pain in his neck and the cold wind was getting to it.

“Listen, Gordon, don’t let Dad get to you.  He does know it’s all you ever wanted.  Stick with it.  John and I… well, we need something to replace what we’ve got right now.  We’ll keep the heat off you, okay?”  Scott shivered a little.  “Look I’m going back, it’s freezing out here – you look after yourself, yeah?” and he gave his brother a hug.  “Promise me?”

“You sound like Grandma now!”

“Yeah, well, you just keep safe!” and they parted.

 


End file.
